Want to Build a Leadership Culture? Ask the Hard Questions

Excerpted from “Leaders Made Here” (Released this week) by Mark Miller 

The journey to high performance always begins with leadership. My newest book, Leaders Made Here, is a deep dive into one critical question every organization faces:

How do you ensure you’ll have the needed leaders to fuel your future success?

The answer, in short: build a leadership culture.

Let’s be clear on terms from the beginning.

A leadership culture exists when leaders are routinely and systematically developed, and you have a surplus of leaders ready for the next opportunity or challenge.

But if this isn’t something you’re accustomed to doing, how do you develop that leadership culture in the first place?

The Key: Ask Questions.

Talk to other leaders at successful companies, talk to mentors, talk to your key stakeholders. Who seems to be really nailing this whole leadership thing? Talk to them. Find out how. Then turn around and implement those tips.

Here are some great questions to ask in your interviews with fellow leaders:

■ What contributed to your growth as a leader?

■ What characteristics do you look for when attempting to identify emerging leaders?

■ Which activities do you generally find most helpful in fostering the growth of an emerging leader?

■ How do you monitor the growth of leaders on your team?

■ What advice do you have for us as we try to create a leadership culture?

The focus for the interviews: LISTEN, and take good notes.

Ultimately, your future success depends on the quantity and quality of leaders on your team. And the quality of the leaders on your team depends on your ability to create a leadership culture. If you allow yourself the humility of asking the above questions, you’ll already be ahead of so many and you will position your organization among the elite. You will create a place where leadership excellence is not a dream but rather a by-product of a sound strategy executed with diligence.

The future begins today. Let’s get started!

Note from Bob:  I devoured Mark’s book in one sitting!  If you want to build or strengthen your leadership culture “Leaders Made Here” is a must read!

Mark Miller is the best-selling author of 6 books, an in-demand speaker and the Vice President of High-Performance Leadership at Chick-fil-A. His latest book, Leaders Made Here, describes how to nurture leaders throughout the organization, from the front lines to the executive ranks and outlines a clear and replicable approach to creating the leadership bench every organization needs.